Switchover of diastereofacial selectivity in the condensation reaction of optically active N-sulfinimine with ester enolate

Enantiomerically Pure alpha-Alkylidene beta-Amino Esters from Asymmetric Addition of Metal Dienolates to N-Sulfinylimines

Lithium dienolate of 3-butenoic methyl ester was reacted with enantiomerically pure N-arylsulfinyl phenylimines (1 and 2) under different conditions. The reactions were completely regioselective-the C-C coupling occurs at the 2-position of dienolate-and highly stereoselective at the iminic carbon. In the presence of different Lewis acids (ZnCl(2), ZnBr(2), and ScTf(3)) mixtures of two alpha-vinyl, beta-arylsulfinylamino esters (epimers at C-alpha) were obtained, being the stereoselectivity depending on the nature of the aryl sulfinyl moiety and the Lewis acid used. Desulfinylation of these mixtures followed by isomerization of the double bond with Na(2)CO(3) allowed the synthesis of the optically pure (E)-alpha-ethylidene-beta-amino ester 10 in quite high overall yield. The addition of the lithium dienolate to sulfinylimines in the absence of the Lewis catalysts yielded mixtures containing important amounts of the optically pure N-arylsulfinyl alpha-ethylidene-beta-amino esters, which became the exclusive product of the reaction when N-2-methoxynaphthylsulfinyl phenylimine 2 was used as starting product.

Asymmetric Synthesis and Properties of Sulfinimines (Thiooxime S-Oxides)

Enantiomerically pure sulfinimines (thiooxime S-oxides 10), important building blocks in the asymmetric synthesis of amine derivatives, are prepared in good to excellent yields in one step from aromatic, heteroaromatic, and aliphatic aldehydes. This protocol involves treating commercially available (R)- or (S)-menthyl p-toluenesufinate (Andersen reagent 4) with LiHMDS, followed by the aldehyde, affording (E)-10 exclusively. The sulfinimines 10 are formed via a Peterson-type olefination reaction of silylsulfinamide anion 13 with the aldehyde. Anion 13 is generated by reaction of lithium menthoxide (12a) with bis(trimethylsilyl)sulfinamide 11, which is formed in the reaction of 4 with LiHMDS. The other product formed is O-(trimethylsilyl)menthol (12c), which is isolated in >80% yield for recycling. Two other less efficient methods for the asymmetric synthesis of 10 are discussed: (i) the asymmetric oxidation of sulfenimines 6 with chiral nonracemic oxaziridines and (ii) the reaction of metal aldimines, prepared from nitriles, with 4. All of these protocols fail with ketones.